Ok, I'm sure nobody cares. But on this last tank of gas, I decided to see how good of gas mileage I could get. Normally, it averages around 24 mpg.
On my last tank, I got a little over 22 mpg.
I drive 30 miles each way to work, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
The weekdays are from 11:30am-12:30pm that I drive to work, so it's HOT. I don't stop sweating until an hour after I get to work, and am in the 68 degree air conditioning. So normally, I drive with my windows down, and cruise around 55-65 mph when possible.
Those "jackrabbit" starts they advise against? That was me. Every light. Every stop sign. Pass someone? Drop into 2nd or 3rd, and lay on it. I LOVE hearing my engine.
But then Katrina, the gas prices, etc. So last week, after it hit, I went to Wal-Mart for groceries, and got gas on the way home. When everyone bitched about the people "topping off" and causing an artificial shortage, I got 13.5 gallons to fill my 17.5 gallon tank. It was time to refill.
Drove 2 miles home.
I calculated my gas mileage...22 mpg. I guess I did a bit more spirited driving than I thought.
So I decided, I'll cut back, I'll see just how GOOD of gas mileage I can get.
I drove to work, in the fucking heat, with my windows down about 2 inches on each side. I drank ice water to keep myself cool, although it wasn't any hotter than normal in the car, I just had less air on me. But I wanted the BEST mileage, and windows down will cut gas mileage. So I would suffer for the sake of research.
I so many times wanted to just ROMP on the gas. I was feeling deprived. I accelerated slowly, staying completely off of boost. I shifted at 2,500-3,000rpm, and was passed many times by little old ladies.
I wasn't perfect...I nearly blew it several times. I passed a guy who must have been doing the same thing, except, I wasn't limiting myself to forty-fucking-miles-per-hour. Reality here...I actually have places to be.
Coming up on a red light, I would drop into neutral, especially if there was a car waiting in my lane. I would coast as often as I could, although obviously not when I need to maintain speed. And yes I know I don't have my foot on the gas, so probably it does very little, except keep the car out of gear, so that's less drag, so it coasts longer.
AND the result. After 422.4 miles of this shit-
26.1 mpg
That's it. A 2.1 mpg improvement over the norm. Now what was my cost savings...there was a savings here to be sure.
To drive that distance, at the following MPG ratings, it would cost:
22.0 mpg = $60.26 Approximately $0.14 per mile
24.0 mpg = $55.24 Approximately $0.13 per mile
26.1 mpg = $50.18 Approximately $0.12 per mile
I saved about 1 cent per mile over my normal 24 mpg. Over a 30 mile trip to work, that's $0.30. Not exactly mind-boggling.
So anyhow, I did this to see just how good of gas mileage I could manage. I'm satisfied with my standard 24 mpg, and have checked my tire pressure already to make sure it's good. But I don't think I can keep up the granny-mode driving any longer.
BTW, the environmental impact, the amount of gas I CONSERVED was approximately 1.42 gallons. By easing off, and almost nodding off, I saved just shy of 1.5 gallons of gas.
Probably the biggest benefit is that when everyone was paying $3.19 for gas, I was looking at my gas gauge at 1/2 a tank. When it dropped to $3.09, I was looking at a 1/4 tank. I passed a $2.99 station, foolishly, to get more miles on THIS tank. All in the name of research and a more accurate average.
However, I think I'll stick to enjoying my driving, although, I will probably be more aware of the cost of winding out the gears just to hear the engine
And if anyone feels the urge to say "Wow, lotta words, didn't read it." Shove it. It's a fucking message board. Don't want to read words? Watch the damn T.V.